:Ranikot Fort

File:Rani Kot Fort.jpg

Ranikot Fort is {{convert|90|km}} to the north of Hyderabad on the Indus Highway{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsindh.com/ranikot-fort-the-great-wall-of-sindh/|title=Ranikot Fort is the Great Wall of Sindh|date=2019-11-15|website=New Sindh|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}} (N55).{{Sfn|Michigan|2004|p=65}} There is also an easy access of about an hour's journey from Karachi to Sann on the Indus Highway. A diversion road, starting a little distance away from Sann, the nearest town, leads to the fort along a rugged {{convert|21|km}} road and reaches the eastern gate of the fort, known as Sann Gate.{{Cite web|last= Soomro |first= Farooq |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1136611|title=Mysterious Ranikot: 'The world's largest fort'|date=10 April 2015|access-date=10 January 2016|newspaper=The Dawn}}{{Sfn|Raza|1984|p=75}} Sann is a rail head on the Kotri-Larkana line of the Pakistan Railway.{{Sfn|Michigan|2004|p=65}} The fort is inside the Kirthar National Park, the second largest national park in Pakistan.{{Sfn|King|Vincent|1993|p=131}}

The original purpose and architects of Ranikot Fort are unknown. It was formerly believed that the fort was built during the regimes of the Sassanians, the Scythians, the Parthians or the Bactrian Greeks, however, more recent evidence shows that the fort originated under the Talpurs and constructed during the Talpur dynasty.{{Sfn|Mustafa|2003|p=49}}

Archaeologists point to the 17th century as the time of its first construction but Sindh archaeologists now agree that some of the present structures were reconstructed by the Talpur dynasty in 1812 at a cost of 1.2 million rupees (Sindh Gazetteer, 677).{{cite web|url=http://islamic-arts.org/2012/ranikot-fort-the-great-wall-of-sindh/ |title=Ranikot Fort – the Great Wall of Sindh|work=Islamic Arts and Architecture |publisher=Islamic Arts and Culture|access-date=10 January 2016}} The battlements of Ranikot formed the last capital of the Amirs of Sind, when they were brought under the colonial rule of the British Empire.{{Sfn|Singh|1985|p=226}} Radiocarbon tests were conducted at the Sann Gate on the charcoal embedded in the mortar of a collapsed pillar of the eastern gate of the fort. These tests have confirmed that this gate was probably renovated between the early part of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century, prior to Britain invading the fort when the Kalhoras, or most likely the Talpur Mirs of Sindh ruled over the area.{{Cite web|url=https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/RANIKOT.pdf|title= Ranikot Fort (Jamshoro, Sindh): An AMS Radiocarbon Date from Sann (Eastern) Gate : Journal of Asian Civilizations Vol. 32, No. 2 |date= December 2009|access-date=10 December 2015|publisher= harappa.com}}

File:Internal Wall Detailed Structure at Rani Kort.jpg

The fort is huge, connecting several bleak mountains of the Kirthar hills{{Sfn|Michigan|2004|p=65}} along contours, and measures {{convert|31|km}} in length. The fort's wall is interspersed with several bastions, and three are of semi-circular shape. The northern part of the fort's perimeter is a natural high hilly formation while on the other three sides it is covered by fort walls. Within this main fort there is a smaller fort known as the "Miri Fort" which is about 3 km from the Sann gate,{{cite news|last1=Baig|first1=Saima|title=Rannikot: The mountains, the desert and the wall|url=https://nation.com.pk/22-Mar-2017/rannikot-the-mountains-the-desert-and-the-wall|access-date=19 April 2018|work=The Nation|date=22 March 2017}} and is reported to have served as the palace of the Mir royal family. The entire fort structure has been built with stone and lime mortar. The fort is built in a zig-zag form,{{Sfn|Michigan|2004|p=65}} with four entry gates in the shape of a rhomboid. The four gates are namely: Sann Gate, Amri Gate, Shah-Pere Gate and Mohan Gate.{{cite news|last1=Kingrani|first1=Aziz|title=Can carbon dating solve the MYSTERY of rannikot?|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1312852|access-date=19 April 2018|work=Dawn|date=5 February 2017}} Two of the gates, facing each{{clarify|date=February 2016}} are crossed diagonally by the Sann river; the first gate is on the western side and is skirted by the river water and is difficult to approach.{{Sfn|Mustafa|2003|p=49}} The southern entry gate has a double doors gate. Within the gates there are two niches which have floral ornamentation and carved stones. File:Architectural Carving Rani Kort.jpg The Sann gate is well preserved and can be climbed to reach the top of the fort from both sides to get a scenic view of the terrain around the fort. This gate is also the entrance to the Meeri.

The Fort was first restored by Nawab Wali Muhammed Leghari, who was the Prime Minister of Sindh under the Talpur dynasty. Restoration works were undertaken on the fort, particularly on the Sann Gate complex, the fortification wall extending south including the mosque and the small Meeri fort or palace within the main fort. These were undertaken by the Archaeology department of Pakistan, the Department of Culture of Sindh and the Dadu District administration. Following allegations of poor construction and favoritism in award of contracts an enquiry was instituted in 2005. The Enquiry Commission's report indicated that the restoration works were poorly done with cement and new stone work without conforming to the "Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites" and recommended stoppage of further work on the fort. Based on this report further restoration work was suspended in 2006.

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• List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
• List of forts in Pakistan
• List of museums in Pakistan

{{Reflist|30em}}

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• {{cite book|last= Raza |first=M. Hanif |title=Karachi, the Show Window of Sind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwsNAAAAIAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Editions Mystique}}
• {{cite book|last=Singh|first= M.K.Ranjit |title=Sanctuary Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0kwsAAAAIAAJ|year=1985|publisher=S. Kumar}}

{{commons category|Ranikot Fort}}

• {{citation |last=Rashid |first=K. A. |title=Ranikot (the largest fort in the world) |publisher=Iqbal Review |volume=VI |number=1 |date=April 1965 |pages=33–49}}.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150414191808/http://www.pakweather.com/2015/04/ranikot-fort-great-wall-of-pakistan.html Ranikot Fort – The Great Wall of Pakistan] – also Known as the Mysterious Place in Pakistan

{{World Heritage Sites in Pakistan}}

{{Cultural heritage sites in Sindh |state=autocollapse}}{{Castles in Pakistan}}

Category:Archaeological sites in Sindh

Category:Buildings and structures in Jamshoro District

Category:Forts in Sindh

Category:Monuments and memorials in Sindh